The Daily Prayer
SUNDAY, May 10, 2020
Isidore the Farmer (1070—1130)
In March 1622, Rome surprised many people by recognizing Isidore as a saint. He founded no order, nor did he write a single book. He was a simple farmworker who spent his life tilling the land, mostly for the same wealthy landowner. With his wife, Maria, he bore a son who died in childhood. Isidore knew the hardship, toil, and sorrow that are very familiar to many. He went to worship daily and prayed continuously in the fields, displaying the simple and profound faith shared by campesinos around the globe. It was said that angels could be seen assisting Isidore in the fields as he plowed. Though he had very little wealth, he became known for generosity and hospitality, especially to the stranger or the lonely. He died on May 15, 1130.
This instruction is found in the ancient Codex Bezae: “Seek to grow from smallness, and from the higher place move down to the lowest.”
Jesus, we believe in your kingdom coming. Even amid pain and despair, we believe that with each brave prophet—with each unknown disciple who stretches her arm as a bridge between a broken world and a holy kingdom—you are laying another brick for the New Jerusalem. Amen.
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